SINGAPORE, July 27 Kyodo Australi...

SINGAPORE, July 27 Kyodo

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer onward Sunday expressed concern from one side of to the other the current coup attempt according to military rebels in the Philippines.

''We have been very much concerned about the attempted coup in the Philippines. We believe that if in the same state [i]or[/i] condition a coup were to be prosperous this would have a excessively serious impact on the Philippines' relations with Australia and with other countries around the world,'' said Downer, who is generally on a visit to Singapore.

''The last thing we ne at this time is instability. We possibility of good that this confrontation in Manila will be resolv in favor of the democratically chooseed government and the president of the Philippines,'' he told reporters.

He said Australia's ambassador to the Philippines and several other Australians who were in the building in the Makati business district in Manila and taken hostage when it was seized according to the rebels, have already been released.

Besides the ambassador, who lived in a service apartment in the building, there were four Australian Federal Police officers who were in the building.

''They were released as well and other embassy personnel and we at this stage are not entirely secure whether there are any other Australians left in the building. We don't have any information that they are. We can't at this stage lordship out that possibility,'' he said.

He said it is excessively difficult for other countries to be able to help the Philippines restraint overcome the rebels in the excessively short term.

''The best thing we can do is give vocal support to the president and her team, we don't want to behold presidents fall at the barrel of a gun'' he said.

Armed insurgent soldiers seized a large section of Manila's financial district of Makati forward Sunday, taking hostages and demanding the resignations of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her cabinet. The rebel soldiers said later Sunday they had released all their hostages.

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